When it comes to championing the human spirit, friend Dick Hogue ranks high as a person I admire.
Dick is another Toastmaster friend. I met him in the 1990’s. He, along with one other person, helped me establish and run a Toastmaster club for the recovering addicts at a local Salvation Army rehabilitation center. It was clear then that he has deep regard and caring for those seeking to improve their lives.
The Haba Foundation
Fast forward to today. Alarmed by an article in Epoch Times, titled, “What’s Behind the Dramatic Rise in Teen Suicide” Dick was inspired to do further research on the topic. Dick and his daughters have decided to get involved. They have established a foundation titled the HABA Foundation. HABA is the acronym for Healthy Adolescent Brain Awareness. The foundation is dedicated to helping spread the word about the harmful environments that young people today are exposing their brains to.
Dick’s primary goal is twofold:
- To heighten the public awareness of the damaging effects of social media, especially the smartphone, and the use of marijuana, and electromagnetic radiation on the developing brain of the youth.
- Provide a means by which youth can develop their public speaking, mentoring, and leadership skills by playing a significant role in getting the word out on these important topics.
Heightening Public Awareness
In addition to the vast repertoire of information and resources on the Haba Foundation site (which I highly encourage you to explore), Dick is available as a speaker on the topic. As a member of the Toastmasters District 52 Speakers Bureau, Dick’s offers a two-part educational series that covers the harm done to young brains from (a) cell phone electromagnetic radiation and (b) all other features of social media devices. Dick has been a member of Toastmasters for over 23 years, so this is a speaker who can deliver an engaging and informative talk. You can reach Dick to speak for your organization via the Speaker’s Bureau site.
Youth Spreading the Word
Imagine if more youth stepped out to do what this twelve-year-old, Abby Jones, did. She spoke at a TEDx event in Cherry Creek about what happened to her when her parents took her cell phone away from her for a month.
Developing Leaders
Dick is passionate about education, especially the development of speaking and leadership skills for youth. The Haba Foundation has designed several leadership guides intended to enable a young person to develop these skills. There are four downloadable PDF guides with specific steps to help a young person to launch projects on one of four topics:
Smartphone use
Research is revealing that social media can be very harmful to young people.
Teen suicide
The CDC reports a dramatic rise in teen suicide rates.
Electromagnetic radiation
Physicians and electromagnetic radiation experts are warning of serious health issues related to electromagnetic radiation including 5G
Harmful Effects of Marijuana on the Developing Brain
Despite the growing acceptance of marijuana across the US, there is considerable information about what marijuana can do to the young brain.
Here is a video of Dick delivering a speech at a local Toastmaster club. He speaks about the incredible opportunity for youth to develop their speaking and leadership skills while addressing these serious issues.
Get Involved in Healthy Adolescent Brain Awareness
As Abby suggested in her meaningful talk, parents need to be parents, not friends. “Helicopter Parents” she calls them. Studies show that adults are not fulfilling their role as protectors of the youth. One way to remedy that is to get involved! The endeavors of the Haba Foundation are an excellent place to begin.
